Marengo: The Myth of Napoleon's Horse - Softcover

Hamilton, Jill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1841153524 ISBN 13: 9781841153520

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2001

Synopsis

The moving story of Marengo, 'Bonaparte's personal charger' and 'favourite horse', whose career spanned the whole of the Napoleonic Wars.

'Jill Hamilton has done some wonderful detective work, and written a gem of a book suggesting a side to Bonaparte not previously explored. Hamilton tracks the Napoleonic horses through all the campaigns, and lays bare the myths, yet in a way that leaves the reader enthralled still by the thought of Bonaparte's criss-crossing Europe on the back of a horse no bigger than a pony.' The Times

'Jill Hamilton casts light on a fascinating and neglected aspect of Napoleon's career: his horses.' Daily Telegraph

'The Emperor's beloved steed, Marengo, caused a sensation during a London exhibition in 1823. Now he is again a source of fascination.' Daily Express

'A fascinating subject.' Scotsman

'Formidable and imaginative. Ideal for anyone with an interest in horses or Napoleon.' Country Life

About this title

Review

Marengo was the name given to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's fabled war-horse, whose skeleton can still be seen in London in the National Army Museum. One entry for the exhibit claimed "Marengo was a light grey Barb, 14 hands in height, and was procured by Napoleon in Egypt after the Battle of Aboukir in 1799. The horse was ridden by him at the battle of Marengo, and named after the victory. It is believed subsequently to have carried his master at Austerlitz in 1805, at Jena in 1806, at Wagram in 1809, in the Russian campaign of 1812 and at Waterloo in 1815". As author Jill Hamilton points out, "since 1823, both dead and alive, Marengo has been a star exhibit in England". As a result she decided to write Marengo: The Myth of Napoleon's Horse, an "attempt to relate Marengo to Napoleon's life and battles". The result is a curiously hybrid book, part equestrian study of Marengo, part potted biography of the Emperor Napoleon.

Hamilton charts Napoleon's rise to power from his humble Corsican beginnings, to his dramatic defeat at Waterloo in 1815, and subsequent death and exile on St Helena in 1821. Along the way Hamilton claims "Napoleon rode horses not only as machines of war but also for recreation, exploiting them for their power, as well as for showmanship". However, for large sections of the book Marengo disappears altogether, as Hamilton combs the archives in vain for the elusive horse and verification that this was in fact the mount "ridden by the Emperor at the head of the most terrifying fighting force in Europe". Marengo is full of entertaining vignettes on the life, loves and foibles of Napoleon, but those looking for a detailed equestrian biography of the Emperor's horse might be disappointed. --Jerry Brotton

Synopsis

With a bullet lodged in his tail and the imperial cipher of a crowned letter "N" burnt on his left flank, a diminutive Arab stallion drew crowds to Pall Mall, London, in 1823. Sightseers came to gaze at the horse advertised as "Bonaparte's personal charger", whose career had spanned the whole of the Napoleonic Wars, who, to the sound of marching songs had trotted, cantered and galloped from the Mediterranean to Paris, Italy, Germany and Austria, and at the age of 19, had walked 3000 miles to Moscow and back. Since then, both dead and alive, this horse with the same sonorous name as Napoleon's great victory, Marengo, has been a star exhibit in Britain. At London's earliest military museum his articulated skeleton was seen by Queen Victoria and displayed as the horse that had carried his master at Austerlitz in 1805, at Jena in 1806, at Wagram in 1809, in the Russian Campaign of 1812, and at Waterloo in 1815. In telling the story of Marengo, Jill Hamilton shows an unexpected side to the Emperor.

She explores Napoleon's enormous regard for horses as well as why it was Marengo, and Marengo alone, who became part of the Napoleonic legend - not Jaffa, Ali, Desiree or any of Napoleon's many mounts.

Edition details

• Publisher: Fourth Estate
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1841153524
• ISBN 13: 9781841153520
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 256